by Shafique Khokhar

Organizations against the exploitation of children protested demanding the cessation of the practice and the establishment of the right to education. In the country of 7.3 million young people are out of school and are employed in hazardous work.

Faisalabad (AsiaNews) - The government should form a national commission to tackle the rights and protection of children from all forms of neglect, abuse and exploitation. It should strengthen the control system to reduce child labor and put in place a mechanism that bans the employment of children under 14 and set the minimum age between 14 and 18. These are the demands of the participants in the protest march called " Red Card for child labor ", organized on June 11 in front of the Faisalabad Press Club on the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour.

At the demonstration attended by several human rights organizations such as Peace and Human Development (Phd), ), Peace for Nation International (Pni), Adara Samaji Behbood (Asb) and Ever Green Foundation (EGF), who joined children and adults from different communities. During the march, participants exhibited placards and chanted slogans against child exploitation.

Suneel Malik, director of PhD, explained that "The red card is used as a symbol by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to raise awareness on the prevention and elimination of child labor, to give a voice to children who are employed in domestic work, in factories, in the furnaces, as beggars, waiters or mechanics. "

Activist Naseem Anthony, "child labor will end when employers are brought to trial and the goal of compulsory and free school education reached." In Pakistan, in fact, about 7.3 million children do not attend schools. In addition, Anthony continues, the current legislation on child labor, the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2002, "must be modified to create special courts for minors."

The latest ILO estimates state that 5.7 million children in Pakistan between 10 and 17 years old work, two thirds in the agricultural sector. A similar number is used instead as free labor in "family" enterprises. Lower downward say that 13.5% of young people between 15 and 17 years are employed in hazardous work.

Shazia George, member of the Commission on the status of women in Punjab, says that "domestic child labor is difficult to ascertain, because it is very informal and hidden, and inspectors cannot monitor all homes where children may be subject to physical violence, long working hours, hazardous work environments and low-quality food and accommodation. " "The government - she continues - should immediately prohibit the domestic child labor, by inserting in the list occupations banned by the Employment of Child Act".

According to the activist Christian Zafar Iqbal, the justifications of child labor such as poverty and unemployment "are weak. The real causes are lack of will, concern, commitment and sincerity on the part of the authorities to protect children from exploitation. "

• PAKISTAN
• child
• labour
• government
• activists
• ILO